Electric generators, such as those used in the power generation industry, essentially comprise a rotor and a stator. The rotor is wound with conductors to form a field winding. The stator is wound with conductors to form a stator winding. The field winding is supplied with an excitation current in order to create a magnetic field on the rotor. When the rotor spins inside the stator, electric power is induced in the stator winding.
In order to ensure safe and efficient operation of an electric generator, operating characteristics of the generator may be monitored using a number of different instruments located throughout the generator. Monitored characteristics may comprise, by way of example, vibration, temperature, voltage and current. Conventional conductor-based instruments for monitoring such characteristics may be unsuitable due to the harsh operating environment within the generator or a lack of space necessary to locate such instrumentation on the generator component(s) of interest. Instruments that address these limitations are therefore desirable.